Chapter Eleven

"I know that he was acting strangely..." Japan was sighing.

"Very much so…" Purred Russia, placing his full coffee cup on the table between his hands.

With a nod Japan closed his eyes, "It surprised me also, but why do you seem just as intrigued as me, maybe more so? I have know China for a very long time as you know..."

Russia let a small puff of air out of his nose, pushing the cup that sat between his hands from the right to the left twice before asking his own question and looking up into the smaller man's black eyes, "What makes you so troubled by that?"

Japan shrugged ever so slightly, just barely letting Russia catch onto it, "It's not that it's troubling, I'm just interested to know why you are so suddenly captivated by my brother."

The Russian frowned, stopping the movement of his coffee cup with his right hand, "Brother?"

Knitting his eyebrows together Japan bit his lower lip, frowning at the table, "Well… kind of, not really, we aren't actually related."

"I see." Russia muttered, bringing his lips into a tight line. Obviously the nation who now sat across from him did not know that Russia was merely curious, even if he was curious to see how he could harm or manipulate people around him with the information. However, he had also known China for a ridiculously long time, and far in the past they had even been friends.

Coughing, discomfort evident in his eyes at the short response from the Russian, Japan twisted his abdomen to the right and left by a few inches before facing forward again, "R-right, but Russia, there is something that I want to… to warn you about."

Russia tilted his head to the side as he sat up straighter, automatically listening intently for clues, "What is this warning?"

"China isn't going to tell you anything specific," the Asian man frowned worriedly.

"I-" Russia looked confused for a silent moment before continuing, "I knew that already, why?"

Japan blinked, "Well... he has a lot of secrets from the past? What other reason?"

"That's not what I- ugg, fine. Yes, I understand that quite well," Russia bit the side of his bottom lip, "do you know any of these secrets?"

"No." Japan immediately said, shaking his head quickly from side to side. But when he looked up at Russia again and noticed how hard he was being stared at, he hurriedly stuttered again, "a-actually, yes. Yeah, I do, or I have suspicions at least."

Now standing in front of China's door, Russia was quietly thinking about his conversation with Japan and clutching a cheap bouquet of flowers inside one of his long sleeves. He paced on the front steps, wondering if he should knock on the door or see how long it would take for China to eventually notice him.

After Japan had mentioned secrets he hadn't mentioned anything specific, the same had been true with China. If the two of them both were referring to the same event then a fast path to his answer would be to torture it out of one of them, presumably Japan. Yet Russia didn't really have the energy for that, plus, it would make their relationship even more strained.

The Russian didn't really understand all of this relationship stuff, but that didn't exactly matter. He had to think of a solid excuse to be here yet again, both to China and his own government. The latter of whom would definitely have started to wonder why he had taken a regular passenger plane to Beijing twice in the last month. And as for China… well… their real friendship had ended a long time ago.

Russia usually stayed in his home country, so all of this traveling was out of character in the first place, and none of the other personifications seemed to really trust him anyway.

"ебать это," he muttered eventually, raising a leather-gloved hand to knock on his ally's door.

He knocked twice, but quite sharply, so he expected China would hear it and respond quickly. Under normal circumstances he would have preferred breaking and entering but today he was trying to seem normal to get closer to China. (He personally saw nothing wrong with the first choice but China had seemed to mind on the multiple occasions that Russia had shown up inside his house uninvited.)

Birds chirped in the nearby trees and he pressed his right hand to his hip in impatience, hoping that none of China's neighbors saw him and got the wrong idea about why he was waiting on his doorstep, looking visibly nervous, and holding flowers. It would have been peaceful here if not for how out of place he felt, solidly and one-hundred percent Russian in a nation that, until recently, he had been partially against.

Glancing at the sky, Russia tapped one of his feet. It had been a moment or so, perhaps China had not heard him..? Again knocking on the door he fiddled with the neck area of his scarf, fidgeting and wondering if he should have brought alcohol instead of flowers.

A few more clouds passed over his head before he started to think about knocking a third time. However, as he started to raise his arm again he heard near-running footsteps from inside.

"等待, 我來了!"

Russia didn't know what that meant but he lowered his hand again, recognizing China's high pitched voice as well as the language. He fumbled with the flowers in his hands, hiding them behind his back as if he were holding a weapon instead.

First, the door on the inside opened (Russia had to assume that it was there to keep bugs out since the front one had open holes in it). After that the one in from quickly followed, "請不要在這裡為了-!"

China looked up, blinking twice before a look of recognition came over his face. He still stared at the Russian for a moment, eyes wide in shock and perhaps fear, though that might have just been Russia's interpretation.

"Oh gods it's you…" he groaned in annoyance, scrunching up his eyebrows and nose in a scowl.

"Hello Yao Yao," Russia happily chirped, "I have no idea what you just said!"

Before he could get any more out, China had shut the door in his face. Russia swallowed, staring at China through the carvings, "Are you mad?" He asked tentatively.

"Go away." China muttered, turning away from the door, "I don't want you here."

"I feel like you are mad..."

"操你!"

Even though he didn't know what the insult meant, Russia still grit his teeth in annoyance, which his ally noticed, of course.

"Are you sure you are not mad at me Ivan?"

Russia snorted, "hardly so, I came here to apologize."

"Apologize?" China turned towards Russia and glared at him through the carved door, "Why?"

Shrugging, Russia taped his foot,"For breaking and entering? If that is what it is called, and if it is the reason you won't answer my questions,"

"Oh ho!" China laughed bitterly, stepping away from the door and putting his hands on his hips, long sleeves rolling down his arms as he moved, "Well if this is about my refusal to comply with your wishes by telling the answers to your questions then you are out of luck!"

Opening his mouth before closing it again, Russia frowned in confusion, "That is partially the reason, but not-"

"I'm not answering your questions." China growled at him, "Go away."

"No!" Russia exclaimed indignantly, annoyed by China's persistence, "I want to apologize!"

"Okay then," China sneered, "apologize and go away, I bet your boss is missing you," Russia had only just muttered 'barely' under his breath before the smaller Asian nation continued, "Plus, what are you hiding behind your back? Please don't blow up my house, I won't appreciate it."

Russia sputtered, "Blow up your house?" taking the bouquet out from behind his back, his face flushed, "these are flowers!" he exasperatedly exclaimed, waving them in China's face to prove his point.

One awkward moment of silence later with China just barely being able to stutter 'o-oh.' and a quick apology in Mandarin Russia shook his head, putting the flowers back down by his side, still noticeably blushing.

"Will you let me in? I want to talk to you."

China goaned, rolling his head back and angrily squinting at the ceiling, arms going slack by his sides, "Look Ivan, It's very nice of you to get me flowers and all but last time you wanted to talk to me I kicked you out of my house." He kicked one foot into the floor as he closed his eyes.

Frowning again, Russia held up a hand, signing for China to stop talking despite the fact that he wasn't even looking at him, "Please? At least make me food?"

Loudly snorting and reopening his eyes, China turned back to face the Russian, looking mildly amused, "What?"

"Please let me in?"

Another long silence followed Russia's request, the birds chirping loudly in the trees as if laughing at the pair of personifications arguing through the old door. China stared into Russia's violet eyes, his own dark ones squinting in an apparent character assessment.

When he finally sighed in annoyance and swung open the carved door, aware that Russia was not going to back down, he spoke up again, "For the sake of politeness I will, but only for a small amount of time, and only if you get me a cute stuffed animal and don't stab me or anything."

As he walked through the now open door Russia smiled, handing the flowers to his ally, "I might have to question your priorities Yao, as one should usually prefer not getting stabbed over a stuffed animal."

China scrunched up his face in a bitter grimace, "Shut up, I'll tell you which one I want after you have said what you want to say."

"I wasn't confused about..." Russia's experestion turned to confusion, "What?"

But China didn't answer and instead beckoned Russia with a jerking motion, padding into the kitchen. Russia quickened his steps and hurried to follow him, watching as the smaller man walked over to a counter and placed the flowers on it carefully. Glancing over his shoulder and making eye contact with the other nation, he rolled his eyes in disgust and shifted his weight to his other foot, reaching for the teapot that sat on the counter. Next he hurriedly filled the teapot with water and put it on the stove, turning the dial that corresponded with the placement of the pot.

In that moment Russia almost felt compelled to crack a joke about how he liked food better than hot water before he stopped himself, wondering where the urge even came from. He was here to find out secrets while pretending to be a friend, not actually be a friend.

While Russia was still confused by the sudden extroverted urge he had gotten the smaller personification turned and walked past him, barely acknowledging him as he swept by. Snapping back into reality, Russia followed China in a mild trance to the dining room. Here, the Chinese personification kneeled at one end of the table, sitting down on his heels.

Russia stared at him for a moment before China broke him out of his thoughts, "Well? Sit down," He tilted his head, gesturing to the other end of the table, "I would say I hope you want tea because I just put it on the stove but I would gladly drink it all myself..."

Russia nodded awkwardly, plopping down on the floor across from the East Asian country, smiling tentatively at him as he secretly thought of what to say. He had to be clever about this, or his answer would never come.